Why Gen Z Isn’t Engaging in Your Church

Church leaders, your calling isn’t just to shepherd the people you understand—it’s to shepherd everyone God has placed in your church. That includes the younger generations, even if they feel like a mystery to you. Older church leaders, you don’t get a pass on this. Saying, “I just don’t get Gen Z” isn’t an excuse—it’s an abdication of responsibility. The good news? You don’t have to guess what they care about. There’s a wealth of insight available about Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha. The question is, will you take the time to learn? The future of your church depends on it.

Think Outside of Your Generation

The big issue I see again and again is the failure of older leaders to recognize the differences between the generations. And they certainly don’t try to think like those in other generations. Boomers especially, and I can say that since I am one. We are notorious for saying, “They just need to figure it out.” Putting on your big boy pants is a Boomer mindset. That mindset does not work very well with Gen X, it doesn’t work at all with Millennials, and Gen Z will have no idea what you’re talking about.

It is incumbent upon us, as older leaders, to understand what makes the next generations tick. Put yourself in their seat and say, “If I were a Gen Z member of the church today, where would I be looking to serve? What would really appeal to me?” You do not know the answers to those questions based on the preferences of older generations.

For example, if you need parking lot volunteers, Boomer men will sign up in droves. They will be all over that. But that’s probably not true for Gen Z men. A few might be interested, but it likely just wouldn’t appeal to them. 

Instead, what would be really important to Gen Z? Inclusivity. A missional mindset. Serving others in the community by helping economically disadvantaged families, holding block parties, or helping at a food pantry. Those are right in their wheelhouse. That’s what makes their heart skip a beat. Finding the types of things that would really resonate with them requires you to think outside of your generation. And then you go create those things if they don’t already exist.

Letting Go of Generational Amnesia

Another really big conversation that most churches are not having is about generational amnesia. Boomers have forgotten what it’s like to be a 26 year old. We’ve especially forgotten what it’s like to be a 26-year-old giver in the church. We didn't have any money when we were 26. Most of us weren’t giving regularly at 26. So why are we talking about the 26 year olds that don't give today? First of all, many of them do give, they’re just not writing a check every Sunday morning and putting it in the offering plate.  

We have to remember that our lives now are so much different than they were when we were 26. Our kids are out of the house, we’ve paid off our mortgages, our education is complete, our daughters are married. We have much more margin in our lives. Of course we are really good givers now and they aren’t. 

Making Church Leadership Opportunities More Appealing

If you're looking around and seeing that you have young people attending your church, but they aren’t engaged in activities or opportunities, the question would be why is that? 

We have to recognize where people are in life, how they are wired, and consider where they may find joy. When you're planning events and activities and building organizational charts of who's going to do what, make room for young leaders. Don’t just lump them all together or automatically divide them generationally. 

So how do we create opportunities for them to lead, serve, and do whatever they want to do in the life of the church? And then how do we make these things so magnetic that they're flocking to be involved? 

You talk to them. Ask them where they want to step in and serve. Ask them what volunteer roles are missing or what roles they wished were available. Ask them what group is needed. When you ask those questions, they will have answers, including some really good insights. 

Being More Intentional About Engaging Younger Generations

The vision for the future of the church should always stay the same. It’s the same for everyone. But how you articulate it needs to change based on generation. Show that you recognize every person in the church. All the ages and stages. They are not the same. Everyone needs to hear the message, understand the vision, and learn about the future of your church in their own language.

That's the intentionality we're talking about. That allows you to create opportunities younger leaders are attracted to and excited about. Acknowledge they are there and they matter in the life of the church by being intentional in these ways.

1. Look at how events, projects, missions trips, and volunteer roles are structured. If Gen Z isn’t participating, did you make room for them? There may be something about how you’re structuring things or the way you’re presenting it that they don’t like. Don’t be tempted to think they aren’t involved because they don’t care or they’re lazy. There's something else to this story.  
2. Look at your messaging. Whether it’s the sermon, an invitation to an event, or the copy for an Instagram post, what you say and how you say it matters. “Bring your family to the church picnic” will not resonate to a group that doesn’t yet have children. Including all generations may mean you need two separate versions or posts, one for this group and one for that group. 
3. Look at your sermons. Are you truly speaking to everyone or just one generation? You may not realize it, but maybe you were speaking to only the Boomers in the room when you used a particular illustration. Nobody else got it, because they were too young. That’s not the right illustration to use if you want to include everyone.
4. Look to your Gen Z staff or members. If you're a big enough church, you probably have some Gen Z people on your staff. Get them in the room and ask them, “What would it look like for us to create this? Would this go over well with Gen Z or do we need to think differently about that?” If you're a smaller church, you probably have Gen Z members. Get them into a room together and use them as your advisory panel. Ask them how you  can be the kind of church that is providing the right opportunities for people in their age range.
5. Look at all levels of talent and ability. Many churches, especially larger ones, are constantly trying to level up. In the name of excellence, they are eliminating room for young leaders to cut their teeth. The result is that younger leaders can’t see themselves in those roles of playing an instrument on stage or leading worship. Make space for them to get experience and try things out that they are attracted to. They don’t have to always be excellent, but you have to give them room to get there. 

When I started hanging around with a lot of young leaders several years ago, I didn’t understand them either. I get them better now though, and I'm seeing their faith in action in massive ways. We are hearing stories time and time again of revival and encouragement and hope happening in pockets on college campuses, at churches, and all over the place. It can happen at your church.

If you want to engage young leaders and attract them to leadership positions, make room for them and get out of the way. Engage with intentionality to make your ministries magnetic. Start by learning more about Gen Z. Read some blog posts, listen to a podcast, do some research, and then go put your arm around somebody.

I spoke in more detail about this whole topic on a recent episode of the Next Sunday podcast, which you can find here. {link}